Three goals and a funeral on day of protest at Wednesday

Things can only get better by D:Ream played out at Hillsborough at half-time.

After a dismal summer and with no conclusion to the ongoing uncertainty over the future of Sheffield Wednesday in sight, you would have to assume the DJ knew what they were doing with that one.

This was a first home game of the season unlike any other on a day that started with a funeral procession in protest of the running of this famous old club by owner Dejphon Chansiri.

And it ended with Wednesday, playing their first home game for just shy of four months, being applauded from the field despite a 3-0 Championship defeat by Stoke City.

In many ways, it’s not really what goes on on the pitch but off it that matters here now.

Sheffield Wednesday fans have known more than their share of hard times in the past 25 years.

Since the turn of the millennium the Owls have suffered relegation from the Premier League, gone down to the third tier on three separate occasions and come close to going into administration more than once.

Tough times have been numerous, while good times have been all-too few.

Through everything the fans have endured they have continued to turn up and support the team in their thousands.

The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust organised a protest march, featuring a mock funeral, in Hillsborough Park, across the road from the stadium prior to the match.

It came a week after 2,000 Owls fans waited outside for the first five minutes of last weekend’s defeat at Leicester, while the club only got the go-ahead to open Hillsborough’s North Stand for the visit of the Potters on Wednesday.

“The symbolism of the coffin is the death of the club and we have the dates on the coffin of 1867 when the club was first formed to 2025,” chairman of the trust, Ian Bennett, told the BBC.

“We’re hoping people see it’s symbolic of what Mr Chansiri is doing to the club.

“My grandad and dad were Wednesdayites and my daughters and grandkids are. This is my life and it’s absolutely soul destroying what’s happening.”

Visiting boss Mark Robins experienced a litany of off-field issues during his time in charge of Coventry, including having to play home games at Birmingham City for two seasons.

The veteran manager and one-time Wednesday striker said he could empathise with what people connected to the club were going through.

“I feel for them because you’ve got a really tough situation with the cost of living crisis and people missing their mortgage payments,” said Robins following his side’s victory.

“It must be horrendous for everybody. It can bring you together but it can destroy lives as well. It needs to be sorted out.”

He added: “It’s really difficult to give advice in circumstances like this.

These two teams have been playing each other in league football since 1892 but few games between the two can have featured such a bizarre opening.

With Wednesday fans carrying out a whistle protest from the moment the game started, Stoke moved the ball forward and talented playmaker Million Manhoef was able to cut inside and fire in at the near post inside the first minute.

Home fans then chanted for Thai businessman Chansiri to “get out of the club” but, with Stoke largely on top, the majority of the noise before the break came from the away section.

Despite being a goal down Wednesday were loudly applauded from the field at the break but Robins’ men then made it 2-0 with a goal in the first minute of the second half.

The Owls did force Viktor Johansson into some sharp stops as they looked to try to get back into the match but were opened up far too easily for Stoke’s third, again scored by Manhoef, and with that some fans started to head for the exits.

A large proportion had long since left by the time referee Aaron Smith blew for full time but those who remained cheered the home players from the pitch at the end of the game.

The Championship season is a long slog and Wednesday have 22 more home league matches to play in a relentless and unforgiving league.